Text: Luke 2:4-7, “So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Devotional: This week’s Advent story is the story of hope. Too often the moments before Jesus’s arrival are seen as a mother great with child, riding on a donkey, arriving in town in just the nick of time, struggling to find a motel room, but finding only ‘No Vacancy’ signs. The couple settle for a stable and the baby is born.
The Bible doesn’t really paint such a picture. They go to Nazareth, and while there the water breaks. And the inn was unsuited for a baby to be born. That’s it. Instead of focusing on that drama we create, perhaps focusing on the weeks and days before the birth would be helpful. The child Mary was carrying was something special. While all babies are special, this one was especially special. He was promised from days of old, and foretold by an angel. With every birth there is hope. Hope they are healthy, hope of what they might become, hope. Mary had many reasons for hope. And because of the Advent story, we too can have hope. Advent hope is a hope for an eternity with God and with the child whose birth we celebrate each Christmas.